Gun possession leads to court appearance

Apr 13, 2022

Guilty plea: A man has faced court after being caught with guns without a gun licence. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

A man who was found with a handgun in his bedroom and a video of him using a longarm gun was seen by police, has been fined $750.

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Steven Coonerty, 39, of Tatura, pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to possessing an unregistered general category handgun, two counts of unlicensed possession of a category A longarm gun, and possessing cartridge ammunition without a licence.

Prosecutor Senior Constable Luke Lund told the court police seized a phone belonging to Coonerty’s brother for unrelated matters on October 27, 2020.

On the phone, police found a photo of Coonerty holding a longarm gun and a video of him firing the gun, Sen Constable Lund said.

The court was told Coonerty does not hold a gun licence.

Police found a BB handgun and assorted .22 ammunition rounds in his bedroom when they searched his home the following day, Sen Constable Lund said.

When asked in a police interview at the time about possession of the gun, Coonerty replied “the replica, a fake one. We’ve had it for years”, Sen Constable Lund said.

The court heard Coonerty also denied the room the gun was found in at the house was his bedroom, but his mother had told police it was his room.

He admitted possessing and carrying the gun in the photo and video.

Coonerty’s solicitor Emma King told the court her client understood how seriously the court took firearms offences.